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The world has a very different way of keeping score than God does. The world says, “The more money and possessions you have, the more impor- tant you are! If you want to win, GET as much as you can!”

God says the opposite. He says, “The more you learn to give, the happier you will be!” The world says, “GET!” God says, “GIVE!”

Greed is a very powerful thing that can ruin a person’s life and their relationship with God. That’s why God tells us to run from greed and seek to live a life of generosity.

In this lesson, the kids will examine a passage of scripture that teaches the dangers of greed.

At Home

**Power Verse** "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10

**Big Idea* I Won’t Love My Money No More ‘Cause It’s Time To Change The Score!

Tell your children that for devotions this week, you’re going to watch television. Instead of watching a program, though, you’re going to watch commercials. (If your family doesn’t watch television, you can look at ads in magazines or sale flyers or even browse through the toy aisles at a local discount store.

As you look at the commercials, ads, or toys, ask your children the following questions. Skip the ones that don’t apply to your situation.

• What do you see in this commercial, ad, or store?

• What are they trying to sell?

• What kind of music is playing? How does it make you feel?

• Do any of the people in the commercial or ad look unhappy? Why not?

• Do you think everyone who owns one of these items is always happy?

• If you had never seen this commercial or ad, do you think you’d want what they’re trying to sell? Why or why not?


Tell your children that many companies spend a lot of money trying to make people want their products. Their goal is to make you feel unhappy if you don’t own what they’re advertising. Trouble is, this is exactly the opposite of how God wants you to feel. He wants you to be content, which means you’re satisfied with what you have right now.

Discuss how your family can fight the temptation to want more stuff. One powerful way is to thank God for something you already have when you’re tempted to buy more. And maybe you need to stop watching so much TV or looking at so many sales flyers.

Ask God to help each of you feel content with what you already own, and thank Him for what He’s already given you.

Family Devotion: What's The Score

Classroom

Countdown

Intro Video

**Leader**: Today we are going to be talking about the dangers of greed.

Silly Willy comes out to “Are
You Ready For This?” off the
Jock Jams. He is super excited!


**Leader**: Silly Willy! Are you all right?! What are you so excited about?

**Silly Willy**: I’ll tell you exactly what I’m excited about! I’m gonna win! I’m gonna win!

**Leader**: You’re gonna win what?

**Silly Willy**: The game, silly. I’m gonna win the game!

**Leader**: What game is that?

**Silly Willy**: The game we are playing in my class at school. We are having a contest to see who can read the most books over the next 6 weeks. It’s gonna be me!!!

**Leader**: Well, that’s wonderful, Silly Willy! I am glad you are going to work hard, but how do you know that you are going to win?

**Silly Willy**: Because, I am going to make sure that nobody else can find any books. I am going to take all the books from the library and hide them everywhere so nobody can find them. They can’t read books if they can’t find books!

**Leader**: Now, Silly Willy. That’s not the right attitude.

**Silly Willy**: Of course it is! And just to make sure they don’t go out and buy the books instead of check them out, I am going to tell everyone in my class that all the bookstores in town have closed down. That’ll keep them from going to try to buy books! I am going to WIN

**Leader**: Silly Willy, I am shocked. You’re not even giving people a CHANCE to win.

**Silly Willy**: That’s right! Isn’t it great? I can’t give them the chance to read any books because what if they read more than me? Then, I won’t win! If I let them read some, then there’s fewer left for me to read!

**Leader**: Silly Willy, I think it’s time for you to change the score.

**Silly Willy**: What score?

**Leader**: That’s what we are learning today. You see, the world has an attitude that it’s all about ME and how much I can GET! That is selfish, and that is called greed. The Bible says that we should run from greed. But, God’s way of keeping score is how much we can GIVE to others and help them. You know, Silly Willy, your attitude has been all wrong about this contest.

**Silly Willy**: It has?

**Leader**: Yes. You shouldn’t be trying to keep others from getting books and doing their best. You should be trying to GIVE them a chance to win. The point isn’t to win. It’s to do your best. If you end up doing your best and winning the contest, then great! But, don’t try to keep others from winning! That’s not nice and it certainly is not fair.

**Silly Willy**: Well, I guess you are right. That’s kind of selfish of me to want to hurt others just so I can get ahead. It’s not ALL about me. Other people matter, too.

**Leader**: That’s right!

**Silly Willy**: Well, then I AM going to change the score. I am going to put all the books back and give everyone else a chance to win. If we all do our best, then whoever wins will be very proud!

**Leader**: Good attitude! You better get going!

**Silly Willy**: That’s right! I have a lot of books to put back! See you later everyone! Bye


Puppet Skit

Illustrated Message - Game: Give A little Take a Little

Choose two players to compete. One player stands on one side of the room by a bucket filled with the small-medium sized items. The other player stands on the other side of the room by an empty bucket. Place the third bucket (empty) in the middle of the room/ playing area.

One player’s goal is to GIVE as many of the items as possible from their bucket to the middle (empty) bucket. The other player’s goal is to TAKE as many items away from the middle bucket as possible and place them into their bucket.

The players will have to make strategic decisions on how many items at a time to GIVE or TAKE. They are not allowed to pick up the buckets themselves and dump the items. All items must be carried.

When you say, “GO!” the timer begins and the first player gathers as many items as possible to run and GIVE to the middle bucket. The “taker” is not allowed to leave their starting position until the “giver” has deposited the first batch of items into the middle bucket.

Play a 60 second countdown or run a timer. At the end of the 60 seconds, count how many items are in the middle bucket. Then, have the players switch positions and play the game all over again. Whichever team has the most items left in the bucket after their 60 seconds WINS!

Option 2: If the game “Deal Or No Deal” went over well last week, feel free to play again each week. Since it is only a four part series and only one child can actually play the game at a time, you can probably use this game each week of this series without it getting old.

Game Time

Power Verse Review

Familiarize yourself with the passage found in 1 Timothy 6:9-16.

Write the word “ME” on one side of the chalk/white board and the word “OTHERS” on the other side.

The world has a very different way of keeping score than God does. The world’s way of keeping score is this: (on the side of the white board that says “ME” begin making tick marks that indicate score) “If I can just get a whole lot of money, possessions, and stuff, then I will be happy. I will have more than everyone else, so they will think I am important. I will have more money than them, I will WIN!”

The world says, “It’s all about ME! It doesn’t really matter about you, it’s about me. I can’t let you get more than me because then I won’t WIN and I won’t be important.” In the world’s way of keeping score, the goal is to GET as much as possible, and hope that everyone else gets (make a big zero on the side of the board that says “OTHERS”) nothing! That means I WIN!

There’s a word for this kind of keeping score. God calls it “greed.” Greed is a dangerous thing. The Bible teaches us we are to run from Greed. As a matter of fact, we are going to look at a passage of scripture today that our Power Verse came from that is going to teach us the dangers of greed!

Read 1 Timothy 6:9-16 out loud to the kids.

Now let’s look at this passage and see what it can teach us about the dangers of giving in to greed.

Illustrated Message - When I give into Greed I Sin

Verse 6 says, “People who WANT to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires...” Does that sound like fun? NO! Falling into temptation means we sin. Sin breaks God’s heart. When we sin, we go against God’s plan for our lives.

Now, notice it doesn’t say that those who ARE rich are automatically greedy. It says those who WANT to get rich. That means that getting rich is all you think about, all you desire, all you care about. That’s being greedy. That is what causes us to sin. But, not only do I sin...

Illustrated Message - When I give into Greed I Loose

Instead of greed being the way to win, it ends up being the way to lose. Notice what the rest of verse 9 says, “People who WANT to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” That doesn’t sound like fun!

Greed ruins you. Greed destroys you. I have seen so many people who wanted to get rich so bad they were willing to steal to get it. I have seen people who were so greedy, they would cheat on their taxes in order to save a few dollars. I have seen greed cause people to do so many things that ruin and destroy their lives.

Not only does Greed cause us to sin. Not only does Greed cause us to lose. It also causes one of the worst and most terrible things that could happen to a person..

Illustrated Message - When I Give into Greed I Destroy

Verse 10 in our passage says, “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith...” That means they have decided to turn and walk away from their relationship with God. They decided that money meant more to them than God did. That is so sad.

You see, boys and girls, God loves us and has a plan for our lives. It’s a plan to bless us, not do us harm. He wants us to stay away from things that will harm us. Greed is one of those things. If we give in to greed we will sin, we will lose, and we will destroy our relationship with God.

(turn back to the white board) So, how many of you want to live your life full of greed? How many of you want to focus just on GETTING as much money as you can? How many of you want to sin, lose, and destroy your relationship with God because of greed? Raise your hand.

I don’t either. So, do you know what we have to do? CHANGE THE SCOREBOARD! We’re not going to keep score the world’s way anymore by focusing on how much we can GET for ourselves.

No, instead we are going to keep score God’s way. (erase the “points” under “ME” and begin putting points under “OTHERS”) We are going to focus not on getting, but on giving. Giving to others and giving to God. We’re not going to give in to greed!

Pray for those who feel like they have been letting greed run their lives. Pray that God would change their hearts desire from wanting to GET to wanting to GIVE. 

The best way to defeat greed in our lives is to do the opposite of what it wants us to do. Greed says, ‘GET.’ God says, ’Give!’ This week, I want you to practice destroying greed in your life by doing something very difficult. Talk to your mom and dad. Together, decide something that you can GIVE to someone else. Not something you don’t want that you were going to throw away anyway. Instead, choose something that means something to you and give it away to someone else. As you give, God will help you defeat greed in your life and help you develop a life of generosity.

Illustrated Message

Ask the following questions:

1. What was today’s Big Idea?
**Answer: I Won’t Love My Money No More, ‘Cause It’s Time To Change The Score!**

2. What kind of car was Ed E Money driving?
**Answer: Corvette**

3. What color was the Corvette?
**Answer: Silver**

4. The world keeps score by how much you can ___________.
**Answer: Get**

5. Trying to get as much money and possessions as you can is called_______.
**Answer: Greed**

6. The first danger of giving in to greed is “I __________.”
**Answer: Sin**

7. The second danger of giving in to greed is “I __________.”
**Answer: Lose**

8. The third danger of giving in to greed is “I destroy my relationship with ____.”
**Answer: God**

9. What was today’s Power Verse?
**Answer: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10**

10. Where was Ed E Money when he taught the Big Idea?
**Answer: At the baseball field**



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